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Three New 'Metal Gear Rising Revengeance' Trailers, Plus Brief Thoughts On The Demo

Konami and Platinum Games are building the Metal Gear Rising Revengeance hype with new trailers and a playable demo.

February 19th is the big day for Metal Gear Rising Revengeance—and thank goodness for that, because if this game was coming out in March I think I’d have to go into hibernation.

Besides that, it’s a game that I can’t wait to get my paws on. After playing the demo, I’m more excited than ever for Kojima’s latest Raiden action title.

Impressions On the PS3 Demo

Raiden is back, and this time he’s more machine than man. In the demo we learn the reasons for this, and that the game takes place four years after the events of Guns of the Patriots.

Blade Mode is a bit tricky to get used to at first, but combat over all is actually quite fluid. It’s not exactly simple but nor is it terribly complex. A lot of the fighting comes down to good timing and precision. Timing a parry at just the right moment is crucial when facing harder enemies. Slicing in just the right spot in Blade Mode can mean the difference between getting your health back or dying a moment later.

The best part, though, was the first boss—a Bladehound—a massive dog robot with a whip for a tail and a huge chainsaw on its back. The creature is imbued with impressive AI in both the fiction of the game and the actual fight mechanics. It actually reminded me a bit of a Dark Souls style boss, though far more mobile and frighteningly quick.

Like Dark Souls, you’ll soon learn its patterns and find your timing on the defensive. But I admit to dying several times before getting it right. All told, an impressive first boss or, perhaps, mini-boss. If it’s any indication of the rest of the game, fans of action games are in for a treat.

There is a stealth component to the game, but I didn’t really bother with it in the demo enough to say how it works one way or another. I did walk up behind one baddie and chop him in half with my sword in Blade Mode, but that was about the extent of “stealth” I experienced. We shall see what the rest of the game holds.

The graphics are excellent. Lately, with games like this one, I find myself understanding more and more why Microsoft and Sony have dragged their feet upgrading to next-gen systems. The fact that games can look this good on six-or-seven year old hardware is incredible.

New Trailers

This first trailer shows off the “Zandatsu technique” or “the stab-and-grab” which is basically Raiden’s ability to go into “Blade Mode” and slice and dice enemies in slow-motion.

Using your right joystick, you can fine-tune the direction of your blade. Hit the right spot, and you yank out a cyborg’s glowing-blue spinal thing-a-muh-whatsit, which in turn replenishes your life and power.

Zandatsu Trailer

The next trailer shows off Raiden’s suit and suite of combat moves in more detail. A lot of the moves and abilities in this trailer were not featured in the demo, but the running attacks, sliding attacks, and Ninja Run all look awesome. So, actually Ninja Run, etc. were in the demo. I was just too busy with all the other stuff to realize that on my first time through. Having since loaded it up to play again and figured out my missing moves, I’m pleased to say that they add quite a lot. Good times.

Suit Overview Trailer

This last one shows off some of the locations in the game, which look pretty diverse. I played the PS3 demo, and the game really does look amazing. Many of these locations look really neat also.

Locations Trailer

The demo is available now on Xbox 360 and PS3, so there’s really no reason you shouldn’t give it a shot yourself.

If you’ve played it already, shout out with your impressions in the comments.

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Yet again, you’ve managed to name-drop Dark Souls in an article with a tenuous connection to it. Never change, Kain.

I’ve got to admit, that demo, though not impressive in its level design, had me in awe at the badass combat mechanics. I spent a good amount of time in blade mode turning trees into powder. It took me a while to grasp the basics of the blocking mechanic, but once I was able to parry that robo-mutt I actually began enjoying myself. To put this experience in context, I played the Dead Space 3 and DmC demos right before MGR, so I was pleasantly surprised that at least one of them wasn’t an unflushed turd. MGR is now on my list of games to pay attention to, along with Bioshock and GTA5. I’ll also think of it as a substitute for DmC.

I do hope that level design improves from this point. The badass combat, however, is certainly the focal point and it really is impressive. BioShock Infinite and GTA V are both ones to pay attention to for sure.

I loved it so much I had to replay it several times, only to find myself wishing they included a hard mode with the demo so I would have a reason to keep playing. The way stealth is included is very interesting, as it’s more of a way to seek a bonus to a situation, than any mandatory survival technique. You can’t save the hostage without sneaking up on the executioner, and you can take out the later enemies one at a time, even though you can reasonably take them all on at once.

Oh man. This is what happens when I try to pay attention to a story after getting no sleep thanks to my sick kids. Apologies. I give up. The game has excellent combat and it’s really fun. You’re fighting some goons in some Foreign Country and it looks pretty. The end.